Konnichiwa Minna-san! Ok I admit it. I have a tendency to constantly change my mind without warning. I know this chapter was supposed to be based on the beginning of Kagome's training, but character development with Kikyo and Sesshoumaru is important in this story. Also, I have no control over the flow of ideas my muse, ¥Belle¥, sends me and I will be taking my time in order to make this story worth reading ^^; Reviews are appreciated so I know people are actually reading this, and I enjoy other people's thoughts and ideas. Lets go for the goal of 15 reviews, ok? Well here's Ch.3 fresh out of the oven!

Undead Hearts Cannot Be Broken

By: Ryuu Girl

*~*~*Deals With The Dead*~*~*

She was close. Kikyo entered the Inu youkai's territory two days ago, and was steadily approaching the heart of the Western Lands, Home of Lord Sesshoumaru. Kikyo was well aware of the Lord's hate for his half brother. She had to use this hatred to her advantage, using the Inu Lord as a useful pawn, ready to be discarded after his purpose was fulfilled.

She's been working with Naraku too long. His malicious nature was beginning to rub off on her, tainting her mind with cruel, heart wrenching plans, which would leave her victims pleading for the mercy called death. Her face twisted into an icy smile at the thought of the reincarnated bitch lying on the ground dying. Watching Kikyo drag her beloved into the depths of hell with a passionate embrace between two lovers.

Her dark aura shadowed the immediate area, disguising the normally bright new sunshine. The air was thick with her flying soul stealers. Yes, she was almost ready to make the first move. Inuyasha and his friends would be damned.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

West of the dark miko, Sesshoumaru was mulling over the dead trespasser. 'So the resurrected miko corpse has dared enter the Western Lands, possibly to seek me out. Foolish corpses, I, Sesshoumaru do not tolerate trespassers alike or otherwise.' Also, what would it wish to speak with him about? Surely the thing did not have the foolishness to ask for his services in exchange for a petty shikon shard. No, last he heard it was working with Naraku, seeking out shards for the evil hanyou.' Sesshoumaru mused, trapped deep within his thoughts.

He frowned at the thought of the twisted evil hanyou and his constant manipulations. If that hanyou bastard and the undead miko were wandering his lands, he would have to tread guardedly and watch the actions of those in his lands meticulously.

For an instant he considered the thought that it might be the miko who traveled with Inuyasha. No, she was very much alive and healthy. His thoughts strayed to the strange yet curiously strong child like woman. She had eluded death by his claws several times in the past, each and every time displaying a new bewildering strength. The first time he actually took a moment to acknowledge her was when she pulled the Tessusaiga from his father's remains.

The sword had seemed to sense her deeply buried strength and instantly accepted her as its master. The thought of a human claiming his rightful inheritance was enough to send him off the edge into a mindless state of bloodlust. He unconsciously paced his study with the manner of a caged animal. He hadn't hunted for days and his instincts were beginning to get to him. He hadn't really bothered to think of it earlier, but he remembered the miko had actually been quite easy on the eyes. She had a fiery and daring aura, which seemed to emanate an overwhelming strength as she dared to stare him down the second time they met. The image of her with her raven black hair and deep blue eyes flecked with gray blazing in anger at him was burned into his mind.

Sesshoumaru allowed himself a small smile at the thought. Yes, he had plowed his hand through his dear brother's stomach before the brat tore off the borrowed arm holding the Tessusaiga.

He was suddenly ripped from his thoughts by a knocking at the door. Jaken stepped in followed by Yogarasu the crow demon. The bird youkai stood behind Jaken in his human form, waiting silently for his lord's interrogation.

He had long black hair pulled in a low ponytail, and burning red eyes, which seemed to hunger for blood. His face was unnaturally cold; he wore an expression of stone. His body was hidden beneath a black cloak that stopped just above his ankles. The only thing it revealed was his feet. They were similar to human feet except for the fact that where harmless toes should be, instead there were wicked curved talons that rivaled his master's claws. He was the lord's eyes and ears of the Western Lands, and uncommonly strong for a crow. Unlike most youkai, Yogarasu could live without scavenging on the weak and wounded. He survived on his ability to become one with the shadows and his thirst for flesh and blood.

Piercing the two lower youkai with his golden gaze, Sesshoumaru turned towards Yogarasu. He looked the crow in the eyes and finally spoke.

"So tell me Yogarasu, you say a unknown miko has wandered across our borders and is currently on a path directly to the castle?"

"Hai Mi'Lord. If she continues her current path, she will be at the castle gates by tomorrow's sunset." Yogarasu answered respectfully, with a voice that sounded like a dry wind ripping through dead reeds. His eyes never left the ground out of reverence for the demon lord.

"Does she travel alone?"

" No Mi'Lord. She was accompanied by soul stealing demons that appeared to be under her complete control."

" Have you seen any sign of a demon wrapped in the pelt of a white baboon?"

Yogarasu blinked at the peculiar question.

'How would a baboon clad demon have anything to do with an intruding miko?' He wondered silently. He quickly pushed the thought aside. It was his master's business and he was only a spy. All he cared about was the bloodshed that normally shadowed in the youkai lord's wake.

"No Mi'Lord. I have not seen nor heard anything about a demon with that description."

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Sesshoumaru looked up to see a blur in an orange kimono rush towards him right before it collided with his legs. Rin looked up at the Inu youkai with eyes shining with admiration.

"Has Sesshoumaru-sama seen Jaken? Rin was playing hide and seek with him, but he never came to find Rin." She said looking puzzled and had not noticed the toad's presence in the room yet.

Sesshoumaru glanced at his servant who was standing beside Yogarasu. He was flattened against the wall trying to hide in the shadows. Yogarasu snorted at the toad's lame attempt.

"Jaken, take Rin to play in the gardens and stay with her. If you fail, you shall taste my poison claws." Sesshoumaru commanded sternly.

Jaken face became a strange, splotched mixture of red and green. "Hai Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken said quickly as he ushered the energetic girl out of the study.

Yogarasu turned to give the small human a hungry look as she left the room. That did not go unnoticed by Sesshoumaru who merely waved a clawed hand at his spy.

"Very well Yogarasu. That will be all for now." He said dismissively.

Yogarasu hesitated. " Sesshoumaru-sama, shall I intercept the miko before she reaches the castle?" His talons itched at the thought of tearing them into the mortal's weak flesh.

Sesshoumaru's gaze sharpened. "No, I will deal with the trespasser myself. The miko shall not reach this castle." He said firmly as he turned away, clearly ending the conversation.

"Hai Milord." Yogarasu said as he bowed and backed out of the study.

Sesshoumaru watched the crow youkai retreat silently. Then, he left for his chambers to gather the Tenseiga and Toukijin. Indeed, the demon lord did not tolerate trespassers in the Western Lands. He would prove that once more today.

After carefully securing the swords at his side and leaving Jaken with strict instructions to stay and watch over the palace and Rin, Sesshoumaru leapt into the morning light.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sesshoumaru had been hunting in his true form all morning and had yet to find any trace of the trespasser. He growled low in his throat and his tail thrashed behind him in irritation, causing a couple trees to be knocked over. The enormous snow-white dog was a truly frightening scene to come by. He was the size of a modern day home and had purple stripes, which traveled down the side of his face and met at his jaws. On the demon's forehead was a blue crescent moon. Green corroding poison dripped from the demon's mouth, which held rows of pointed canine teeth. His blood red eyes were narrowed in concentration as he tracked his prey with the patience of an experienced predator.

Finally, a passing breeze caught his attention. Sesshoumaru wrinkled his nose in distaste, as the disgusting smell of earth, bones, and death, wafted to his nostrils. He began to run in the direction of the offensive scent, shaking the earth with his powerful gait. He could feel a dark aura in the forest ahead of him as he drew ever closer.

Sesshoumaru suddenly stopped in a clearing. He scanned the area and spotted something lying in a large tree that resembled the Goshinboku in Inuyasha's forest. The dog youkai sniffed the earth confirming that the owner of the horrible scent was indeed there. Satisfied, Sesshoumaru returned to his more humanoid form. He calmly approached the tree and saw the undead miko sleeping in its branches. His claws began to glow green as he prepared to melt the miko on the spot. Just as he was about to lunge, Kikyo opened her eyes and gave him a smug look.

Sesshoumaru rushed forward to tear the miko apart when; he was suddenly thrown back by a magical barrier that appeared around the tree. He got up and growled.

"What are you doing in my lands corpse?"

Kikyo gave him a long look and smiled. " You need to learn some hospitality demon, or at least some respect. You are foolish to attack the one who could give you that which you have been denied time and time again."

Sesshoumaru readjusted his emotionless expression and merely raised an eyebrow at the zombie's statement. "Oh really, tell me then. What exactly can you give me which I am unable to gain myself?"

Kikyo fixed her icy gaze upon the demon lord and tried to suppress a smirk.

'So predictable, the foolish whelp.'

"Why, the legendary demon sword Tessusaiga." She said watching the demon lord for a reaction.

Sesshoumaru gave her a bored look and said. " Tessusaiga? I am unable to wield the sword so what good is it for you to take it from my half-brother. I doubt an even weaker creature like you, could steal the sword from the weak half-breed. In the end I think I would get more of a pleasure in melting you right here."

Kikyo eyed the poison as it dripped from his claws and land upon the soil with a hiss. She stared him down with an unwavering look and said. "Obviously you do not realize you have seriously overlooked several important factors of the sword, including its true master."

"My half-brother is of no importance to me, nor is any of Naraku's lowly schemes." Sesshoumaru stated coldly.

"Naraku has no part in this. This meeting is solely for my own personal gain and I do not recall mentioning Inuyasha. Tessusaiga belongs to neither you nor your brother. Currently its loyalty lies with my own dear reincarnate who ironically cannot even wield a sword much less master it." She spat out.

Sesshoumaru noticed the hate flashing in her eyes before she managed to get herself back under control. He felt a familiar anger began to heat his blood as he thought of the miko releasing Tessusaiga from his father's tomb but oddly enough he also felt a tiny prick of some other strange emotion racing through him.

'What on earth is this?' he thought. 'I should feel nothing but hatred towards the human filth.' Try as he might, the mighty lord could not identify the feeling he felt when he thought of the miko. The Sesshoumaru growled in frustration. Now was not the time to fight his emotions when he had an opponent in front of him. He would deal with the confusing thoughts later.

Kikyo paused for a minute to regain her composure before she continued. "As I was saying, the only reason why the sword allows Inuyasha to use it is because the girl freely gave it to him. She is the key to you gaining what you deem as rightfully yours. I propose that in exchange for your services I shall steal the Tessusaiga for you and give you the necessary information of how to use the girl to your advantage in wielding it."

Sesshoumaru allowed himself a slight smirk. " What is this service you need so badly? Is it truly so important that you risk the wrath of that foolish hanyou?"

Kikyo fought to hold her icy expression, but was unable to stop the bone chilling smile that graced her lips. Sesshoumaru felt his hackles rise instinctively at the disturbing corpse.

" Inuyasha's wrath? The only one who will face his anger is my foolish reincarnation. I wish for you to remove her from the picture so she will be out of my way permanently. I will take care of getting the sword and framing the girl to make it appear as if she was the thief." She paused to make sure Sesshoumaru was listening before continuing.

"The only thing I care about is, that Inuyasha is sent to the gates of hell by my hands without interference from that slut who holds my soul. When you obtain her, she can be used to release the Tessusaiga for you. After that, I could care less how you kill her. My soul will be returned either way." Kikyo finished. She looked at Sesshoumaru expectantly.

' The insolent dog cannot refuse. He's snared now.' She thought smugly.

Sesshoumaru could only stare in amazement at the undead miko's truly evil plan. This was worse than Jaken's plan to use Inuyasha's dead mother to obtain the whereabouts of his father's tomb. It was beneath him and yet, Sesshoumaru had been looking for a chance to meet Inuyasha's wench once more. She could not be allowed to live after the many times she had survived battles with him. His honor demanded her death, but another part of him was also making requests. He inwardly snarled as a strange warmth enveloped him, and began to play with his mind. It left the demon lord feeling strangely calm at the thought of the child like woman. He would find out what this feeling was soon enough. The human would answer all his questions and more. Sesshoumaru blinked and gave the dead woman a piercing look.

"Very well."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

With a tired sigh Kagome pulled herself out of the well. She walked across the shrine's grounds towards her home, anticipating a nice hot bath.

'All right, the worst is over now. I just need to calm down and think this through. I know I have the power to purify my bow and arrows, but that just isn't enough. In close combat I would be easy prey for a youkai with the shards, but whom can I turn to in the Modern Ages who knows the ancient power of the miko and can train me to fight?'

She pulled out her key to unlock the door, but to her surprise it was already open. Her family should have left this morning. No one should be home. She tensed as she heard the creak of the kitchen's ancient floorboards.

'I should get Inuyasha; he would know what to do.no! I can do this myself. The whole purpose of this trip home was to learn to take care of myself. I can do this..' Kagome thought fiercely, the burning determination rising within her once more. She slowly pulled the bow off her shoulder and armed it with an arrow. She concentrated on the arrow, carefully powering it with her determination and rising strength.

"I can do this." She told herself quietly.

Kagome pushed the door open with her foot and walked in, arrow drawn tight. A tiny bead of sweat slid from her brow and down her cheek. She walked out of the entry way and into the living room. Kagome carefully avoided the tasteful antique furniture her mom loved to collect and decorate the house with. She heard another creak in the room next door.

'He's still in the kitchen, good.' Kagome thought.

She couldn't sense a demon aura, but sometimes humans could be worse. Taking a deep breath, she gathered strength from the adrenaline pumping through her veins. Kagome drew the arrow tight and walked into the kitchen. She saw a figure with it's back turned going through one of the drawers on the table. Kagome squinted in the dim morning light, attempting to identify the person cloaked in shadows. She finally gave up and aimed the arrow at the person's back.

"Hold it!" Kagome said firmly, trying to hide the uncertainty in her voice.

The figure stiffened and turned around slowly. Kagome's heart lurched as she accidentally released the arrow. She gasped when she recognized her grandpa.

'Oh no.'Kagome thought as the arrow streaked towards her grandfather with a deadly intent.

"Grandpa!"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Evil cliffhanger yes? ^^ Most people wouldn't expect to be attacked by a bow an arrow in the Modern Ages so I wonder if Kagome's grandfather can survive. Well, I had to do something to keep you on the edge of your seat. I'm enjoying writing this and so far I think this will be a pretty long fic. Who knows? I sure don't^^; Hopefully, I'll be updating again soon, and as always R&R!